Yes, No, Maybe So - Who is the right pick for the Angels at #2
June 26, 2025 - Written by Brayden Zielke
Photo Credit : @bakerphotos_ - X
As the College Baseball World Series comes to an end, it’s time to start getting serious about who the best prospects and best fits are for the Angels at pick #2. This draft class has amazing depth but isn’t top heavy, having no true superstars. With the Angels strategy of quick call ups, it is essential to pick well, especially holding such a high pick.
Yes - Ethan Holliday, SS, Stillwater High School (MLB.com’s No. 1 Prospect)
Let’s get this list started with a soft yes. There is a reason why Ethan Holliday is considered the #1 player in this class. His dad, Matt Holliday, was a 7x All Star and a 4x Silver Slugger. His brother, Jackson, was the #1 pick in 2022 and was baseball’s top prospect last year. Oh and did I mention that he’s an absolute beast? At Stillwater High School this year, Ethan hit .617 with 16 home runs, 51 RBIs, and an OPS 2.046 in 32 games. I call this a soft yes because as we know, the Angels don’t take high schoolers in the first round and they haven’t since 2018. I consider this to be one of those situations that if the Nationals do pass on him at #1, the Angels should at least consider it, even though I don’t believe it to necessarily be the right move. Even if he does progress quickly through the Minor Leagues, we likely wouldn’t see him up until mid-2027 at the earliest. Transitioning him to become a full-time 3rd Baseman would also take some time. There is a lot to not like when you have the Angels quick call up strategy, but I wouldn’t take him off your draft board.
Maybe - Kade Anderson, LHP, LSU (MLB.com’s No. 2 Prospect)
Kade Anderson might be the most intriguing prospect of these 8. Some draft experts have him being taken 1st overall, which I don’t think would be a possibility in any other draft class. Anderson was extremely inconsistent as a freshman last year, making 9 starts and having 9 appearances out of the bullpen, culminating in a 3.99 ERA. He did show promise, allowing only 3 home runs and striking out 59 hitters in 38.1 innings of work. This year, Anderson was again somewhat inconsistent but was better. He had a few truly elite starts in the regular season, but he also had a few starts that make me question how he’s a top 5 player in the draft. I think the best case for Anderson is that he showed up when the lights were bright. At the College World Series in Omaha, Anderson threw 7.0 innings and allowed only 3 hits and 1 run against Arkansas in a 4-1 win for LSU. In game 1 of the College World Series Finals, Anderson threw a complete game shutout against Coastal Carolina, helping LSU win the College World Series and winning the series Most Outstanding Player Award as well. Anderson finished this season with a 3.18 ERA in 19 starts. I put Anderson as a Maybe because I still prefer Arnold over Anderson and the only way I would want to draft Anderson is if Arnold is off the board, which is seemingly unlikely.
No - Seth Hernandez, RHP, Corona High School (MLB.com’s No. 3 Prospect)
Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love Seth Hernandez. There is a reason he is being called one of the greatest prep pitchers in quite awhile. In his 2 years at Corona High School, Hernandez was lights out. He had an 18-1 record, an ERA of 0.51, and 178 strikeouts in 109.1 High School innings. I truly believe that he could be one of the great pitchers of this generation, but he isn’t the guy for the Halos. High School pitchers generally take time to develop in the Minor Leagues and with time comes the risk of arm injury. But on the flipside, you can damage his arm, confidence, and his development if you rush him through to the Majors. Hernandez just isn’t the right fit, but I really do think he will have an extremely successful career.
Yes - Jamie Arnold, LHP, Florida State (MLB.com’s No. 4 Prospect)
Jamie Arnold is currently my favorite option for the Angels at #2. Arnold is a polished left-handed pitcher. Unlike some of the other top college pitchers, Arnold has consistency through multiple college seasons and I am of the opinion that Arnold is the most major league ready college pitcher in this draft. After struggling in his freshman season, Arnold broke out in his Sophomore campaign and kept it going into his Junior season. Arnold had a 2.98 ERA in both seasons and is coming off a great 2025 season, despite struggling a bit at the end of the season. In his last 4 starts, Arnold had a 4.94 ERA, but had an ERA of only 2.24 in the 11 previous games. Arnold could possibly make the 2026 Opening Day rotation if selected. I really like this route.
Yes - Aiva Arquette, SS/2B/3B, Oregon State (MLB.com’s No. 6 Prospect)
Arquette is the highest ranked college hitter available in this draft class. Aiva Arquette follows my rule about multiple seasons of college production, having an amazing sophomore campaign at Washington before transferring to Oregon State. This season, he hit 19 home runs along with an OPS of 1.115. While his ability to switch from a full-time shortstop to a 3rd baseman does somewhat concern me, Arquette is the guy the Angels should look towards if they feel the need to pursue a 3rd baseman in this draft. Arquette also played pretty well in the College World Series, going 5-14 with 1 HR, 1 RBI, and 3 runs scored in Oregon State’s 3 games in the series.
No - Liam Doyle, LHP, Tennessee (MLB.com’s No. 8 Prospect)
While Liam Doyle had a really solid season at Tennessee, I don’t like him as the #2 pick. Doyle was ok at Coastal Carolina but was just bad at Mississippi last season, having an ERA of 5.73. He broke out at Tennessee, having a 3.20 ERA and leading college baseball in strikeouts before the College World Series started. The reason I dislike drafting Doyle is because he has only had one good season of college pitching under his belt. I have the same qualms signing free agents coming off of a breakout year. I just don’t trust him to be good. Arnold has multiple years of great college pitching, and Doyle does not.
No - Jace LaViolette, OF, Texas A&M (MLB.com’s No. 20 Prospect)
Jace LaViolette, who many saw as the 2nd best player in this class just a few months ago, fell off a cliff this season in terms of production. Even though he played 12 more games in 2024 than he did this season, his numbers were simply exponentially worse. While his OPS was still high, he hit 11 less home runs and 17 less RBIs. I still expect LaViolette to be a mid-1st round pick, he is out of the question for the Angels. It is quite unfortunate because I really did like LaViolette last season and I thought he was going to have an even better season this year for A&M.
Wild Card - Kyson Witherspoon, RHP, Oklahoma (MLB.com’s No. 10 Prospect)
Kyson Witherspoon is the prospect who I feel makes the most sense if the Angels want to select under-slot. For those new to this concept, I’ll explain. In the MLB Draft, each pick in the first 10 rounds has a value attached to it. This value is the signing bonus amount for this pick as suggested by the league. Each team only has so much money to spend on signing draftees. This amount is unique to each team and is determined by which picks the team has. In this strategy, the Angels would take someone ranked lower and pay them less money in order to spend more money in the later rounds. Witherspoon is consistently mocked around picks 8-10 in most drafts I have seen. While I don’t currently endorse this strategy for a team picking at #2, I do like Witherspoon. He has multiple seasons of solid college production, having a 3.71 ERA in 2024 before having a better season in 2025 with a 2.65 ERA and the 5th most strikeouts in college baseball. I actually would rather go under-slot, save money, and get Witherspoon than draft Doyle. Unlike many of the other college pitchers on this list, Witherspoon didn’t have any really bad games. Witherspoon was quite consistent this season and could be major league ready soon, but isn’t as polished as Arnold.
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